Every Last Scrap of The Rena Must Be Removed

New Zealand
First is backing calls for the complete removal of the
container ship Rena from the Bay of Plenty coast.

The Rena
struck Astrolabe Reef on 5 October, 2011, littering the sea
and shorelines with containers and debris. It has been the
subject of a clean-up operation since but the owners and
insurers are now seeking to abandon the wreck.

But New
Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters, speaking in
Tauranga today, says he wants the job completed.

“This
is a half-hearted approach and not what was expected of them
– have they no respect for the New Zealand
environment?

“We want every last scrap of the Rena,
innards and all, off our coast,” says Mr Peters.

“It
is a broken-up wreck which the owners say will be left in an
‘environmentally benign state’. Not good
enough.

“They suggest that removing more of the wreck is
too challenging and too technical, this looks like they are
taking the easy option and dumping the remains on New
Zealand.

“It must go. The Rena was one of our worst
shipping disasters and threatened to permanently damage our
coastline and affect all the marine species that thrive in
our waters.

“To do anything else other than total
removal sends a signal to the world’s maritime community
that New Zealand is a pushover and readily accepts lower
standards than the rest of the world.

“We have one of
the most pristine coastlines in the world. We all want to
keep it that way as was evidenced by the hundreds of people
who voluntarily worked to clear the mess that spewed on to
our shores and helped save wildlife after the disaster,”
says Mr
Peters.

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